Baku hosts conference on “Arshin Mal Alan” operetta
By Sabina Idayatova
A conference dedicated to the 100th anniversary of "Arshin Mal
Alan" (The Cloth Peddler) operetta was held at the house-museum of
great Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibayli on October 23.
The conference attendant, Professor of Baku Musical Academy (BMA),
Azerbaijani Honored Art Worker Zemfira Gafarova spoke generally
about the meaningful life and the rich creative legacy of
Hajibayli.
It was noted that together with the first Eastern opera "Leyli and Majnun", "Arshin Mal Alan" musical comedy has been staged in various theatres across the world and Azerbaijan's national music has been met with applaud abroad the country.
Gafarova called the festivities dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the "Arshin Mal Alan" operetta at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, organized by TURKSOY and UNESCO's permanent representatives in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan a significant event, stressing the importance of organizing a series of events about his creativity at the house-museum of Hajibayli.
"Musical Harmony of Uzeyir Hajibayli" by the Honored Art Worker Professor Imruz Afandiyeva, "Changes in the Publications of Arshin Mal Alan Musical Comedy of Uzeyir Hajibayli" by the museum's senior scientific worker Sevinj Agilgızı, "Uzeyir Hajibeyli`s poetic talent in Arshın Mal Alan Musical Comedy" by Master degree student of BMA Humay Farajova, "100 Years of the Scene" by the head of the museum's exhibition department Gulnara Alasgarova, "Arshin Mal Alan-Game within the Game " by BMA's senior lecturer Konul Nasirova, and some other reports were heard at the conference.
Composer Rauf Aliyev and others who gave a speech on the topic of the event spoke about the grandeur of the work which played an important role in culture and theatre, and was staged in different countries of the world for more than 100 years.
An exhibition reflecting the life of the Arshın Mal Alan opertta
for 100 years was demonstrated during the conference.
Meanwhile, the premiere of the "Arshin Mal Alan" will be held at
the State Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Ankara on October 27,
Azerbaijani Representation in TURKSOY reported.
The premiere is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the operetta
and will be presented on the Turkish stage for a few months.
The state director of the operetta is the chief director of
Azerbaijani state academic opera and ballet theatre. The leading
roles will be performed by Emrah Sozer (Asgar) and Dolun Erdener
(Gulchohra). The conductor and orchestra director is Mustafa
Erdogan, the scene painter is Yusuf Toker, the costumer is Aidan
Chinar, and the choreographer is Deniz Chig.
"Arshin Mal Alan" is the third and last operetta of Uzeyir
Hajibeyli, author of the first Oriental opera, which was composed
and staged in 1913 in Baku.
The operetta, which is close to the comic opera genre and has an amusing love story is one of the most well-known and dearly-loved stories among Azerbaijanis.
It is also attracting a broad audience worldwide, being successfully performed in over 60 countries of the world, including Austria, France, China, Greece, India, Russia, and Turkey.
On September 7, it won the hearts of about 3,000 Los Angeles theater lovers at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. The American opera singers sang in original Azerbaijani with projected English translations, and spoke in English.
It was also successfully staged in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, having been translated into the Uzbek language.
The plot is centered on a young man named Asker who wants to see and choose his bride himself before marriage. But doing so was difficult at that time, because women were traditionally kept at home and were heavily covered in hijabs when they went outside.
Asker's friend Suleyman suggests that he dress up as a fabric peddler and go around the houses selling fabrics and meeting women.
Asker falls in love with Gulchohra and asks Gulchohra's father, the wealthy Sultan bey, for her hand in marriage. Sultan bey agrees, but Gulchohra objects, because she is in love with the peddler. Eventually, she realizes that the rich businessman Asker is really her beloved peddler and they get married.